Pressing-iron support



Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

rrn'r PRESSINGJRON SUPPORT.

Application filed March 4, 1922. Serial No. 541,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. KonNIG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressing-Iron Supports, of which the following is a specification.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved travelling support for pressing irons; to provide an improved means for suspending a pressing iron in a predetermined position with respect to a pressing board; to provide an improved suspending means for pressing iron which is arranged to follow the movements of iron without obstructing or interfering with the customary ironing movements; to provide a positive acting and adjustable support for pressing irons; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a pressing iron support embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents an enlarged section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 represents a section on line 55 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, one form of the present invention is shown arranged to support a pressing iron 10 in operative relation with respect to a pressing board 11 which is fixed toa pressing table top or other suitable surface 12. The board ll is of well known construction and has its work surface 13 raised above the table top 12 a suitable distance to allow the material or garment being pressed to be easily and conveniently located for pressing purposes.

It is desirable in pressing operations of the present character to relieve the user of the pressing iron of the continuous lifting of the heavy iron, and to that end a frame 14 is provided comprising end uprights or posts 15 and 16 arranged in pairs spaced apart to provide a suitable working space, the respective pairs of posts being anchored at the lower ends to the table 12 and at the upper ends being connected by removable cross cap bars 17 and 18. The posts 15 and 16 have ends seating in the cap bars 17 and 18 respectively and fixed therein by set screws 20, so that the frame can be readily taken apart or assembled. In the present construction a track 21 in the form of pipe has its ends held respectively by set screws 22 in heads 23, each of which has a projecting flange 24 arranged to be fixedly secured to a cooperating vertically disposed bracket 25 by a bolt 26. The brackets 25 are rigidly secured respectively to the bars 17 and 18 and adjustably support the heads 23 by providing a slot 27 in each of the flanges 24. The meeting faces of the cooperating parts may be corrugated as shown at 28 to form a secure interlocking connection. This construction provides for varying the height of the track 21 Within limits and also adjusting it to a true level.

In order to support the iron 10 for free movement endwise with respect to the frame 14, a trolley wheel 30 is arranged to travel upon the track 21 having a depending yoke 31 which operates through a universal joint 32 to support a hanger 33. For purposes of vertical adjustment the hanger 33 is preferably formed in two parts 34 and 35 the overlapping meeting faces of which are preferably corrugated as shown at 36, while a bolt 37 traverses an opening 38 in the part 35 and a slot 40 in the part 34. Thus, by loosening the bolt 37 the length of the hanger 33 can be varied by relatively moving the two parts to the desired position and tightening the bolt 37 again. The part 34 is provided with an eye 41 by which it is freely pivoted upon a pin 42 of the universal joint 32. The part 35 forms a yoke 43 which is arranged to straddle a body 44 and provide trunnion bearings 45 whereby the body 44 is free to swing about a horizontal axls.

In order to support the pressing iron 10 from the above described hanger parts, the

body 44 is drilled to slidingly receive a stem 46 which is arranged to pass through the body 44 and is threaded to receive a nut 47 upon its upper end, and a bifurcated member 48, uponits lower end, which is held fast by a set stud 50. The member 48 supports a rod 51 which carries two depending curved links 52 the lower ends of which are spaced by and secured to the handle 53 of the iron 10. Suitable spacing bushings 54' are arranged upon the rod 51 to maintain the links 52 spaced for proper pivotal action. It will be noted that the links 52 are so curved as to provide ample room for the hand of the user to readily grasp the handle 53 and manipulate the iron with as full freedom of movement as if the iron were of the ordinary unsuspended type of iron. Further the nut 47 has a diameter sui'hcient to cause it to project at the sides of the yoke d3, so that it is accessible and can be quickly turned to either raise or lower the iron 10 according to requirements.

In normal inoperative position the iron 10 is supported with its ironing surface just below the face 13 of the board 11, this position being initially determined by adjusting the parts of the hanger 33 and then turning the nut 47 for the final adjustment. With the iron properly located it is un necessary to lift it at all to bring it to pressing position upon the board 11, because it is possible to grasp the handle 53, tilt the nose of the iron slightly above the plane of the surface 13, and then swing it forward, when the trolley wheel 30 will travel along the track 21 to locate the iron aboveand resting upon the board 11 or any article or material thereon to be pressed. In this pressing position the entire weight of the iron 10 is upon the board 11 because the raised position of the iron 10 has caused the links 52 to turn upon the handle part and upon the rod 51, thus re lieving the hanger 48 of the suspended weight.

The pressing operation can now be effectively carried out without interference by the hanger parts because the trunnion pivots 4-5 permit swinging movement lengthwise of the board 11, while the universal joint 32 permits transverse swinging and any angular movement. When a pressing operation is completed, the iron 10 is merely moved off the board 11 and released, when its weight is automatically transferred to the hanger and its adjuncts and remains positively suspended at just the right height to resume operations.

When the iron is to be brought into use it is only necessary to lift the toe slightly because in doing so the hanger exerts a lifting leverage which automatically raises the body of the iron above the goods on the pressing board.

In the use of the device there is a tendency, when lifting the iron, for the body lcto swing too readily upon the trunnions and thus break the straight line action of the hanger so that the supporting trolley wheel 30 lags to one side of the iron. To overcome this slight tendency an apertured cup member 55 is slipped over the rod 16 and seats upon the top of the body 44:, and serves to retain a compression. spring 56 which bears against the nut 17. It will be noted that the nut at? rests upon the upper face of the member 55 when the iron is hanging idle and therefore takes the weight off of the spring 56. In operation a lifting of the iron and its rod l6 will raise the nut 47 out of contact with the cup member 55 so that the spring 56 acts to maintain the desired rigidity and straight line effect with the trolley wheel in alinement with the iron.

By the foregoing construction the operator or user is entirely relieved of the usual tiresome strain of lifting and putting down a heavy pressing iron continuously, while the iron is always in position to be operated for pressing movement in any direction. The present construction is completely differentiated from hanging devices which em-- ploy springs and like yielding means because it is positive in action and unlike the sprin supported devices maintains the iron accurately at a desired level continuously.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. In a pressing iron apparatus, the combination of a pressing iron, a hanger supported for universal movement, a body pivoted to said hanger for swinging movement, a stem freely slidable within said body and projecting from the lower end of said body, a spring pressed means for varying the length of the projecting portion of said stem and rigidly supporting said stem, and means for pivotally suspending said iron from said stem for movement transverse to the normal working movement of said iron.

2. In a pressing iron apparatus, the combination of a pressing iron, a hanger supported for swinging movement and having a depending yoke, a tubular body pivoted intermediate its length to said yoke, a stem slidably mounted in said body, said stem having a threaded upper end and a lower end arranged to project from said body, a nut member on said threaded end seating on said body, a coiled spring interposed between said nut and said body, and means for pivotally suspending said iron from the lower end of said stem.

Signed at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, this 28 day or". February, 1922.

HARRY A. KOENIG. 

